Thoughts
by Skylark Evanson
Summary: "He wasn't even looking for me. Maybe that's what's bothering me so much." He caught a chest pass from Noah who was still standing at the base of the hoop. "He was only checking on the Omega-1 nanite."


**A/N: I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot more with Cesar now. He is now one of my new faves for this show, right up there with Circe. Circe is easily my favorite for this show, but now she's got some competition. Long live Cesar! Haha!**

**Anyways, this story is just a few little thoughts on him during a basketball game between the guys. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing.**

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**Thoughts**

Noah watched as the ball flew from his fingers and dropped into the hoop. "It's not like it was impossible for you to have a brother," he pointed out as his Mexican friend threw the ball back to him after rebounding it. "You forgot, like, five years of your life. It was always a possibility, wasn't it?"

His lips twisted up curiously as he heard the ball swish through the net again after Noah took another shot. Rex reached one hand out and let the ball graze his fingertips as he redirected it back towards the blonde boy. "I guess I just never thought that it _could_ be reality. I lived here so long that I kind of assumed this would be forever, you know?"

Noah gave a little shrug as the basketball returned to him where he stood just outside the three-point arc. "Not really..."

"Well," Rex started, aiming to string some sentences together that would help Noah see the picture that the EVO was trying to paint for him, "its like you living your life forever, and then learning that you have a brother. Imagine that." Rex wasn't very good with similes, but he figured he'd give himself an A+ for effort.

Noah dribbled the ball for a moment while mulling over this thought. "It'd change things, but I think I'd be able to deal with it."

Rex heard the ball swish through the hoop again; this time, he kept the ball and walked out towards the free throw line. "Same here, but Cesar isn't here because of me." Rex dribbled three times with his left hand and then three times with his right, his usual free throw routine. "He's here because he was part of the nanite project and because White Knight wants to use him and because he doesn't really have anywhere else to go." Rex fired off a shot only to watch it bounce off the back of the rim.

Now it was Noah's turn to grab the rebound and toss it back to his buddy. As soon as the ball was back in the Mexican teen's hands, Noah said, "There's not much you can do about that, dude. Blame it on where you brought him to."

Rex gave a little shrug before firing off another shot; this time, the ball ducked through the hoop, brushing the net before slamming into the court. "He wasn't even looking for me. Maybe that's what's bothering me so much." He caught a chest pass from Noah who was still standing at the base of the hoop. "He was only checking on the Omega-1 nanite."

Noah watched as another shot sank through the hoop after Rex went through his free throw routine once more.

"Now, I'll just say that if I had been gone and I knew something big had happened, I would be checking up on my family first and foremost." Rex picked up the basketball after Noah had rolled it back to him. "I totally understand that Cesar had a duty to watch over the Omega-1 and all, but I would definitely think that family is the most important thing of all."

"Does Cesar think that?" questioned Noah, motioning for Rex to pass the ball back.

Instead of giving the ball back, Rex dribbled his six dribbles, three with each hand, and positioned himself to put the ball through the hoop again. "He looked for the Omega-1 first, Noah. Clearly, his priority is the project. The Omega-1 just so happened to be in me, and if it hadn't been, I'm not sure if he would've even looked for me." The shot was off, nailing the right side of the rim and bouncing before landing in Noah's arms as the boy moved out towards the blocks at the bottom of the lane.

"He's confused, that's all. You said he missed five years of his life in fifteen minutes." Noah watched Rex pace in towards the basket from the free throw line. "I'm pretty sure I'd be confused."

"Noah, you're defending him."

"And you're attacking his motives." Noah wasn't going to take a shot yet. He put the ball beneath his arm and held it there. "If this Omega-1 is so vital to the whole nanite event, I'd probably want to check on it first too. Five years is a lot to miss, Rex."

The EVO teenager snorted his obvious annoyance while folding his arms across his chest. "But he didn't even think about me. He just so happened to find me. Total blind luck."

"Rex..." Noah felt like he was fighting a losing battle. Defending Cesar was futile; he was trying to save someone he didn't even know.

"What would you do?" asked Rex, looking his best friend right in the eye. "Go after your family or a project that could destroy the world?"

Noah did have to pause and think. "I'd probably go after the project."

Rex's lips twisted up into a bit of a grimace. "But it's five years later, Noah. Odds are good that the project is already gone and done." He snatched the ball from beneath his friend's arm and took a few steps back, mostly aiming to get a good shot at the basket from within the lane. "Now what?"

Noah was quick to hustle and slap the ball out of Rex's hands seconds before he threw it up to the basket. "I would check on the project."

"Why?" questioned Rex, mahogany eyes narrowing at his friend as Noah took a shot, the ball sinking right through the hoop only to fall right back into the blonde's hands as he rebounded it.

"Because if this project could destroy the world and it's five years later, what are the odds of my family still being around?" Noah gave Rex a smug look before moving out beyond the three-point arc again.

Rex hated to admit it, but Noah did have a point. "Fine," he huffed, moving towards the bench to grab his water.

"Why are you so bent on making your brother out to be a bad guy?" asked Noah, still dribbling, not shooting.

Rex sat himself down on the bench in a stifled silence. He downed a bit of his water and put the cap back on he bottle before saying, "I guess I'm just mad that I didn't know all this stuff for five years. That's practically a third of my life, Noah. A long time. A very, very long time. And he's so annoying. A nanite is more important than his own brother." Rex spat on the ground, eyes focused on the dirt at his feet. For some reason, knowing that a nanite had been more important than him made him feel neglected.

A moment later, something nudged his foot. The basketball had been rolled over by Noah. Rex looked up to his best friend with a questioning glance.

"If the whole brother thing doesn't work out with Cesar, I'm always here." Noah smiled warmly to his best friend, knowing that all Rex needed was a little bit of family around him. If Cesar wasn't cutting it, Holiday and Six and Bobo and himself would have to do.

Rex picked up the ball, bouncing it off the blacktopped court to his blonde buddy. "And for that, I am eternally grateful." He rose off the bench, dropping the water bottle behind him, not caring where it fell. "Now it's time for me to beat you, one-on-one."

Noah threw it to Rex for a check. "It's on."

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**A/N: Hopefully you know basketball terminology. I've been playing since second grade, so writing scenes on the court are kind of natural for me. Review please?**

**~Sky**


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